NAPSW Forum, Autumn, 2018. What's Inside:

From the PresidentImprisoning Pregnant and Parenting WomenAcculturation and Family BondingNew Board MembersMartha Ransohoff Adler Shares Fond MemoriesBook Review — Babies with Down Syndrome: A New Parents' GuideNew MembersInnovative Program / Research GrantInvitation to SavannahRegional Reports

Members can click here to access. Not a member? Click here to learn more about NAPSW membership benefits and to join today!

Consider making a donation to NAPSW as part of your end of the year giving.

NAPSW is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization whose mission is to promote, expand, and enhance the role of social work in perinatal health care and to strive for excellence in practice for the benefit of families around the time of birth. NAPSW relies on membership dues and donations to provide affordable yet up-to-date and relevant information about best practices. NAPSW welcomes your donation, which is tax-deductible as allowed by law, to support its mission. Donations go towards supporting social work education and can be made online by clicking here.

NAPSW Advocacy Priorities

During the 2018 conference the advocacy committee received approval from the board to focus on the following areas of advocacy for 2018: prenatal substance use, perinatal mental health and parity, ACA repeal and replace efforts (focus on essential health benefits & Medicaid expansion). While the vote does not exclude the organization from supporting requests on other topics, it is the hope of the committee to promote conversations related to these topics at a state, regional, national or international level.

Is your area of practice addressing one of this year’s advocacy priorities? If so, we’d love to hear about it! Send an email to advocacy chair Mandy Wannarka at [email protected] and it could be featured in greater detail in a future forum issue!

Members can click here to access. Not a member? Click here to learn more about NAPSW membership benefits and to join today!

NAPSW is seeking workshop presentations for the 2019 annual conference. Specific areas of interest are: perinatal and social work ethics, enhancing social work clinical skills, difficult conversations with perinatal families, surrogacy, adoption, antenatal support, fetal diagnosis and support, NAS, end-of-life and bereavement, staff support, professional boundaries, cultural competency, perinatal social work research and NICU.

Please submit a one page, double-spaced description/abstract of the material to be presented, with three learning objectives. Include a cover sheet that contains the title, author’s name(s), professional credentials, phone number and email address. Click here for a downloadable flier and please share!

NAPSW Position Statement on United States Immigration Policy

The National Association of Perinatal Social Workers (NAPSW) joins our fellow organizations including the American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Association of Social Workers, National Perinatal Association and many others in their condemnation of the “zero tolerance” immigration policy being enforced by the current presidential administration. It the duty and ethical responsibility to address this harmful policy and rally perinatal social workers to speak out against acts sanctioned by policy.

The NAPSW Code of Ethics (2017) deems it a social worker’s imperative to “seek to prevent and eliminate discrimination against any person or group on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status, political belief, mental/emotional/physical disability and/or any other personal characteristic or status.” Social work’s ethical principles include: 1) service: to help people in need and address social problems, 2) social justice: to challenge social injustices, and 3) dignity and worth of the person: to respect the inherent dignity and worth of persons. The current immigration policy of separating children from their families require social workers to acknowledge these acts as dismissing the dignity and worth of others and identifying this act as a social injustice. NAPSW implores its members, and other social workers, to act providing service to those in need and address this current social problem. Social workers’ ethical responsibilities require commitment to clients, promotion of their well-being and recognizing strengths in all cultures through cultural awareness and social diversity

Join NAPSW's Stepping For Preemies! — Raise Funds to Support Hospital Family Support Programs and NAPSW Scholarships

NAPSW is launching it's annual "Stepping for Preemies" Campaign! This fundraising campaign is meant to be a wellness activity that raises funds for both for NAPSW conference scholarships and Hospital Family Support Programs! How do we do this? Use your tracking device (Fitbit, Smart Phone app, Up Band, etc) to monitor and keep track of your steps.

The registration fee of $25 is the participation cost and contribution for the fundraiser. In order to participate it is recommended you have access to a fitness application via your smartphone or computer and a Facebook account to log your progress. We are asking that you screen save and upload your steps/ run progress to NAPSW's Stepping for Preemies Facebook page. You also have the option of registering and donating without participating in the wellness activity. You can also sign up and track your steps without signing up for Facebook but you will not be able to share your progress nor view others.

The 42nd Annual National Association of Perinatal Social Workers (NAPSW) Conference will be held in Long Beach, CA, May 2-5, 2018. Click here to download the conference brochure. Click here to learn more about the conference and register. Click here to learn more about the benefits of NAPSW membership and to get a discounted conference rate. We look forward to seeing you this year in Long Beach!

NAPSW is launching a recruitment campaign to celebrate social work month. During the entire month of March, new members will be able to join for half price and members who recruit new members will get 25% off their conference fees!

Childbirth in Prison Impact of Stress on the Developing FetusBook Review The Panic VirusRegional Perspective: Disaster ReportsNew Member SpotlightInnovation Programs Research Grant

It’s that time again when we really need the help of ALL of the membership to identify people who could run for Officer and Board of Director positions. We try to offer a slate of candidates so that there is a true election (recognizing that that sometimes means that people who do not get elected may feel bad- but we urge them to try again!).

Good news for those who are still interested in submitting abstract proposals for the 2018 NAPSW conference in Long Beach, CA! The deadline to turn in proposals is now December 1st. Click here to learn more.

The 42nd Annual NAPSW Conference will be held in Long Beach, CA, May 2-5, 2018. Abstracts should be no more than one page, double spaced. Each abstract should include a cover page with the author's name, email and mailing address, work affiliation and phone number. A 40-word brief description, to be used in the conference brochure, should also be included. Please submit three to four learning objectives that are observable and measurable, according to continuing education requirements. Please submit abstracts no later than November 5, 2017 to Tiffany Hanff, LCSW at [email protected].

Please join NAPSW President JaNeen Cross, who will be moderating this important congressional briefing that identifies strategies to prevent child maltreatment of infants from the NICU. The briefing will enhance awareness about NICU families, identify their unique needs and review program and policy solutions that promote positive parenting outcomes. The briefing will highlight policies and legislation that can support NICU families. This event is held in collaboration with the Congressional Social Work Caucus. It is supported by: NASW Foundation, CSWE, NAPSW, & New York Community Trust. Click here to download the flyer and learn more. Please RSVP by June 21st.

On April 21, 2017, NAPSW President JaNeen Cross participated in a RSV Patient Advocacy Ad Board to protect vulnerable infants from RSV. Promoting RSV awareness through the Little Lungs Campaign is identified as one of the next steps towards addressing this disease which is one of the leading causes of infant hospitalizations, and which disproportionately impacts preemies1,2. The Little Lungs Campaign is about raising awareness of RSV, or respiratory syncytial [sin-sish-uhl] virus, particularly among expecting parents, new parents, and caregivers. Join the community of people helping to protect babies from this serious virus. Watch the video below to learn more about how to protect babies from RSV. Learn more about the campaign at the Little Lungs website and the Little Lungs Facebook page. Visit RSV Hospitalization to learn more about up-to-date key findings on RSV-related hospitalizations of preterm infants. Click here to read the results from the RSV Patient Advocacy Ad Board.

Zika Care Connect is Launched!

Zika Care Connect is dedicated to improving access to clinical services for families affected by Zika in 10 jurisdictions throughout the United States and its territories at high risk for Zika, with the ultimate goal of lessening the effects of Zika on children and families. This important resource is now available to help pregnant women and families find the medical help they need. NAPSW is proud to be listed as a Zika Care Connect partner.